Water Supply

HARRISBURG — The state's natural gas industry has grown too fast, too soon, overwhelming the Department of Environmental Protection's ability to adequately inspect drilling sites, monitor drinking water and respond to citizens' complaints, according to an audit. The report, released Tuesday by Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, did not find deliberate attempts to give a free pass on possible violations of state and federal pollution laws to companies that have gone from operating four natural gas fracking wells in 2003 to operating 6,225 in 2012. Rather, the audit found, DEP has not properly monitored the industry because the state agency needs more staff, operates...

You may have heard that you should drain and flush your water heater periodically, but you might be wondering why you need to do that, and more importantly — how?
As to the why, the answer is sediment, which is small bits of dirt, rock, and other...

When a powerful storm unleashed 2 inches of rain on Allentown over six hours last summer, that water didn't just saturate lawns, flood roads and dampen basements. It also filled storm sewers with cascading water that blew the tops off manholes along the...

I advised the Lehigh County Commissioners a while back that they would function much better if they adopted the approach George Costanza used on one memorable episode of “Seinfeld.” Whatever instinct they have, they should do the opposite. I could...

Frome N.J. DEP : Due to damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, several waste water treatment facilities in the state are off-line, resulting in the temporary runoff of effluents into certain waterways. As a public health and safety precaution, the Department of Env

Bethlehem workers took to the streets again this morning to continue clearing the trees and other destruction caused when the remnants of Hurricane Sandy blew through the Lehigh Valley. “We will continue to work with PPL to remove trees and downed wires and ge

Bethlehem’s wastewater treatment plant was back online by 11:40 a.m. Wednesday. While service wasn’t disrupted, the city had to send millions of gallons of untreated sewage into Saucon Creek because it had no power. The city’s main and backup power feeds went

As a steady rain fell on their faces, a nine-man crew from Kentucky stood on bucket trucks, clearing branches and replacing power lines on Route 611 in Tannersville, a usually bustling area near a Poconos outlet mall that stood vacant Tuesday...

Allentown is getting ready to lease out its water and sewer systems to make some cash, but first it's about to upgrade 27,000 water meters. The city is adding radio transmitters. That's right, if you live in Allentown, your water meter will soon be on the air.

A Grammy Award-winning trumpeter, the world premiere of a song cycle based on poems by Carl Reiner’s daughter, dazzling international dance ensembles, circus arts and perhaps America’s premier storyteller will highlight the 16th season of Lehigh University's Z

These restaurants, stores and other food establishments failed food safety inspections in about the past month. Here's what inspectors found, according to their reports: A-Treat Bottling Company, 2001 Union Blvd., Allentown May 23, 2012 The following handsinks

The 2012 Bridgestone NHL Winter Classic in Philadelphia marked the first-ever water-balanced Winter Classic in League history. Last season, the NHL restored the water footprint associated with the 2011 Stanley Cup Final by tracking consumption at Vancouver’s R

Attention Bethlehem water customers: There’s no fluoride in your water. Bethlehem suspended adding the cavity-fighting additive into its water supply on Jan. 6 and the suspension is expected to continue for four weeks. The city’s replacing the fluoride tank an

Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seelers. We enter the final furlong of this week's countdown of 2011's top political stories with perhaps one of the most important policy issues facing lawmakers in recent memory. Namely, how to regulate Pennsylvania's booming Marc

The second phase of a construction project that will allow Allentown to provide water to Lehigh County Authority has begun in the area of Cedar Creek Parkway in Allentown and other areas of the city and South Whitehall Township. The city and Lehigh County Auth

Longtime Activist Alan Jennings ... ... of the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley has quit the Pennsylvania Planning Board, arguing in a lengthy resignation letter that the patronage agency had gotten away from its true mission. "As a...

Gov. Tom Corbett travels to Pittsburgh this morning for an 11 a.m. at the Carpenters Training Center on Ridge Road where he's widely expected to finally announce his plan for an impact fee on Marcellus shale natural gas drillers.Corbett will appear at the c

The top Republican in the state Senate said Monday that he’s looking for an impact fee on Marcellus shale natural gas drillers to Gov. Tom Corbett in October that raises around $200 million a year for communities that are bearing...

Bethlehem Mayor John Callahan and his staff accepted this week the city's third consecutive state award recognizing the city's water treatment plant. The Area Wide Optimization Program award is given to two top performing plants of the 122 plants in the state

Good Friday Morning, Fellow Seekers. If you're a Capitol Ideas reader within the flood zones of Harrisburg and Wilkes-Barre, we hope you made it out of town with time to spare. As of 6 a.m., here's the latest information we...